Chapter 134: The Demon Has Arrived

The person who spoke was a man in his twenties, short in stature with a long face, carrying a wooden sword slung across his shoulders. He offered Yu Ye a faint smile, his small eyes glinting with a sharp, inscrutable light that made him appear quite mysterious.

Yu Ye, however, felt his heart skip a beat.

"Fellow Daoist" is a term used exclusively among those who follow the path of cultivation.

The man before him, though unremarkable in appearance, wore a Daoist robe and had his hair tied in a Daoist topknot. Moreover, a faint aura radiated from his body—he was clearly a fellow cultivator at the Qi Refining stage.

To encounter a cultivator from Qizhou on a street at night was unexpected. And given that this man's cultivation level was not high, how could he have seen through his own disguise?

"Please, have a seat—"

Yu Ye dared not be careless and moved to stand up.

Unexpectedly, the young man patted his shoulder and sat down himself. He then turned to the Qin brothers and smiled slightly, saying, "You two brothers need not be so formal; just treat me as a mortal."

Qin Zhuzi, still confused, quickly stammered, "Oh my, could you be an Immortal Master?"

Qin Shuanzi was also startled.

Regardless of anything else, cultivators were figures of high status. The thought of sitting together with one, drinking wine and eating meat, was truly unimaginable.

The man smiled without answering, appearing all the more mysterious.

Qin Zhuzi asked in confusion, "Immortal Master, this 'Fellow Daoist' you mentioned... who is it?"

Qin Shuanzi grabbed a wine bowl and hurriedly poured a drink.

The man looked at Yu Ye and cupped his hands, saying, "My surname is Dang. My father, wanting to save himself the trouble, named me Danggui (Angelica). And because I am the only male heir in the family, they call me Dangguiyi. How should I address you, Fellow Daoist, and from which sect do you hail?"

The Qin brothers were once again struck with astonishment.

Yu Ye raised his hands to return the gesture, feigning composure as he said, "I am merely a rogue cultivator searching for the path to immortality. I possess neither significant cultivation nor special abilities. I hope for your guidance, Brother Daoist!"

The Qin brothers exchanged a quiet glance.

Yu Ye had indeed mentioned that he was heading to Zhongshan to seek the path of immortality, so he had not hidden his identity. However, he appeared so destitute that no one had truly regarded him as a cultivator.

"Oh?"

The man, who called himself Dangguiyi—a rather peculiar name—suddenly looked delighted. He reached out to cover his mouth and spoke via telepathic transmission: "Brother Yu, to be honest, I have also just stepped into the Qi Refining stage..."

Yu Ye remained cautious and silent.

He heard the transmission continue: "When you secretly took out that silver just now, you might have fooled others, but you couldn't fool my spiritual sense. I have been observing you for a while. Who would have thought your cultivation is even weaker than mine? Haha!"

"Phew—"

Yu Ye breathed a secret sigh of relief.

He had feared he had encountered a high-level expert from an immortal sect and had been on pins and needles, but it turned out the man was only at the first level of Qi Refining and had merely chanced upon his act of retrieving the silver, thereby deducing his identity.

Having clarified the situation, Yu Ye no longer worried. He raised his wine bowl and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Fellow Daoist. Please—"

"Haha, cheers—"

Dangguiyi was quite forthright, downing his wine in one gulp. While Qin Shuanzi poured more, he held his head high and added, "Unlike you, Brother Daoist, a rogue cultivator, I carry the legacy of my master. My travels through the mortal world are solely to slay demons, exorcise spirits, and uphold the righteous path!"

Yu Ye couldn't help but ask, "Which immortal sect are you from, Fellow Daoist?"

Dangguiyi shook his head and said, "A master does not necessarily mean an immortal sect. My master has only me as his disciple, and I am the sole inheritor of his Five Thunders Orthodox Method."

Just then, an old man walked down the street, calling out in relief, "Immortal Master Dangguiyi, I have been searching for you everywhere—"

Dangguiyi shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly, "Evil spirits are running rampant; how can one of my station stand idly by? Fellow Daoist Yu, we shall meet again if fate permits. Please forgive me for taking my leave!"

He rose abruptly and walked away, waving his hand, "Lead the way—"

Yu Ye wanted to ask for the reason or offer a parting gesture, but Dangguiyi had already hurried off into the distance with the old man.

He picked up his wine bowl and mused to himself that although that Qizhou cultivator's level was low, he was full of fire and compassion—a man of justice.

"Brother Yu, do you also know supernatural arts and methods?"

The Qin brothers huddled together, their faces full of curiosity.

"I have yet to even enter the gate."

"I thought as much; you don't look like a high-level immortal cultivator at all!"

"Drink, eat!"

"Haha, bottoms up!"

A jar of wine and five catties of meat were wiped out in an instant.

Once the three were full, they continued to stroll through the streets. Although the night was deepening, the flow of pedestrians never ceased.

Suddenly, a man with disheveled clothes burst out of a shop ahead, followed by a woman shouting at the top of her lungs. Before the man could escape far, two armed men blocked his path, raining punches and kicks upon him before dragging him back into the shop. The woman continued to curse, her manner fierce and shrewish. Passersby seemed unfazed, with few stopping to watch the spectacle.

Yu Ye stood to the side, dumbfounded.

"Haha, let's go—"

"Why was that man being beaten?"

"Brother Yu, do you really not understand?"

"I have never seen such a thing."

"Hehe, that fellow drank 'flower wine' without paying. When you run into the city guards, a beating is inevitable, and he might even be thrown into jail as a warning!"

"Flower wine?"

"See for yourself!"

Qin Zhuzi wore a strange smile.

Only then did Yu Ye notice the plaque above the shop's door, inscribed with the words "Spring Fragrance Pavilion," though he still failed to grasp its significance. Thinking about it, wasn't Spring Fragrance Pavilion just an inn? Qin Shuanzi whispered into his ear again, and he finally understood. His face flushed with heat, and he lowered his head, walking away quickly.

It was no ordinary inn, but a legendary den of vice. He had blindly asked for the truth, only to end up red-faced.

The three wandered around the street before heading back the way they came.

The shops along the street had not yet closed, so Yu Ye took the opportunity to buy a pot of cinnabar and two brushes. It was a pity he couldn't find suitable animal hide, otherwise, he could have crafted some armor-piercing talismans. Until he mastered the Divine Dragon Evasion technique, these talismans remained a vital means of self-preservation. Seeing his obsession with the immortal path, the Qin brothers no longer paid any mind to his strange behavior.

By the time the three returned to the freight yard, it was already midnight. Thinking Old Qin would be fast asleep, they were surprised to find him sitting alone in front of the door, looking anxious as he guarded a dozen wine jars and several basins of mutton.

"Oh my, Zhuzi, Shuanzi, where have you taken Yu Ye?"

Old Qin had been frightened by the wine and meat delivered by the tavern staff, fearing the three young men might have gotten into trouble. Only after Qin Zhuzi explained the situation was he set at ease. Still, he warned Yu Ye that even if one is poor at home, one must be rich on the road—he should keep enough money to return home so that if he failed in his quest for immortality, he would at least have the means to return and care for his parents. Yu Ye nodded in agreement, which satisfied the old man, who then opened a wine jar and began to drink and eat...

The next morning, the four set off from Malin City with their cart full of goods.

By evening, they camped in the wilderness.

A bonfire was lit. There were still a few catties of mutton left from the previous night, so they put the meat and broth into an earthen pot over the fire and opened two more jars of wine, sitting together to eat and drink.

Along the way, Yu Ye had seen how frugal the Qin family was and intended to make it up to them. Old Qin and his two nephews were fond of wine, and after three bowls, they were all in high spirits. Old Qin, his face flushed, shouted—

"Yu Ye, tonight I used your wine and meat to give us three a grand feast. I can't just take without giving, so emboldened by the wine, let me give you a piece of advice: you’re a good lad, why insist on following this path of immortality?"

Yu Ye sipped his wine slowly.

Qin Zhuzi, fearing Yu Ye might be thin-skinned, whispered, "Brother Yu, don't take it to heart!"

Yu Ye shook his head.

As the saying goes, good advice is often hard to give and even harder to hear.

"A brother I was close to years ago spent his days dreaming of becoming an immortal. I couldn't stop him, so I had to let him go to Ling Mountain. He did have a natural gift and managed to enter an immortal sect, becoming a disciple. Who would have thought that a few years later, he offended a fellow disciple, and I heard he was murdered in the shadows—they never even found his body. You tell me, what is the point of all this cultivation..."

Yu Ye smiled.

Why he sought immortality, even he couldn't explain. Looking back now, if it weren't for the spirit snake of an overseas cultivator harming his father, he wouldn't have gone to Spirit Dragon Valley. If he hadn't met Chen Qi, he wouldn't have swallowed the dragon pill. If not for the massacre of his people, the schemes at Xuanhuang Mountain, and the pursuit by Qizhou cultivators, he wouldn't have risen to resist, nor would he have crossed the ocean to Qizhou to uncover the truth.

Now, he had no retreat, and he could not turn back.

Old Qin drank, rambling about the old days, and eventually fell into a drunken slumber, snoring on the ground. Qin Zhuzi covered him with a quilt, and he and Qin Shuanzi drifted off as well.

Yu Ye watched the fire alone, a spirit stone appearing in his hand. While closing his eyes to breathe and nourish his energy, he practiced the "Hidden Dragon Art" passed down by the Dragon Shadow...

Around midnight, a wind picked up in the wilderness.

They were camped in a clearing beneath a forest. As the cold wind whipped up dust and scattered sparks from the bonfire, the four horses nearby whinnied in alarm.

Yu Ye opened his eyes from his meditation.

Old Qin woke up as well, kicking Qin Zhuzi and Qin Shuanzi, urging, "It feels like the weather is turning; go check on the cart—"

The Qin brothers scrambled up, rubbing their sleep-filled eyes as they ran toward the cart.

Yu Ye looked up at the sky.

The stars were dim and the night was dark and windy. It could be a sign of snow, yet there was an indescribable, eerie quality to it.

Just as the cold wind raged, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from the forest in the distance.

Old Qin pulled off his quilt and stood up.

Qin Zhuzi and Qin Shuanzi sensed the disturbance, each drawing a long blade from beneath the cart.

Old Qin strode forward, his voice deep: "Do not panic!"

The three men of the Qin family had traveled for years and likely encountered all sorts of dangers, so despite the sudden turn of events, they remained calm.

The footsteps grew closer.

In an instant, a short figure dashed out of the forest and reached them, panting, "Fellow... Fellow Daoist Yu, it really is you..."

Dangguiyi?

His name was peculiar, but the timing and location of his appearance were even stranger.

Why had he come here in the middle of the night, and why was he so terrified?

Yu Ye picked up a few logs and threw them into the bonfire. He clapped his hands, surprised, and asked, "Fellow Daoist, this is...?"

Dangguiyi ran straight to the fire, panting, "I was invited yesterday to exorcise a demon in a village. Who would have thought that tonight, before I could even set up my great formation, the monster would break into the village? I was no match for it and fled to avoid its edge, but the monster chased me all the way here. If I hadn't run into you, Fellow Daoist, I would have been long gone..."

Yu Ye looked at the wooden sword in his hand, unable to make sense of the situation.

"Awoo—"

A mournful howl suddenly echoed from the distance.

Dangguiyi’s face changed dramatically. "The monster is here..."